Turbocharged Porsche 718 Boxster breaks cover before Geneva show

Porsche has unveiled the new Boxster before its debut at the Geneva motor show in March.

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The car, which is badged “718 Boxster” after the much-loved racing car of the late 1950s and early 1960s, follows the 911 in doing away with naturally aspirated engines and taking on smaller, turbocharged powerplants. The Boxster’s old six-cylinder engine has been replaced with a flat-four turbo. It has a 2-litre capacity in the standard model and 2.5 litres in the S, giving 296bhp and 345bhp respectively.

Porsche says this makes the new car both quicker and more economical. With Porsche’s PDK automatic gearbox, both 718 Boxsters are 35bhp more powerful than the outgoing versions, and torque figures are up, too. That results in 0-62mph sprints of 4.7 seconds and 4.2 seconds — faster by 0.8 seconds and 0.6 seconds.

Yet the standard Boxster is said to return 40.9mpg and the S to manage 38.7mpg in the combined-cycle test, which makes them about 5mpg more economical than their six-cylinder predecessors.

Porsche has updated the styling, too, with distinctive new headlights and a sharper crease above the air intakes, lending it — to our eyes — a reptilian appearance. Redesigned rear lights, a new spoiler and an “accent strip” that runs between the lights make the Boxster look wider.

A modest update to the interior includes improved tech such as Apple CarPlay and online services.

The Porsche 718 Boxster is available to order now, priced from £41,739 for the standard model and £50,695 for the more powerful S, with deliveries starting in the spring. A 718 Cayman will follow it into showrooms later this year.

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